The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-04
MODEL LODGlNG-HOUSES,

MODEL LODGlNG-HOUSES
An Enterprise That Does Not Depend on
Charity-Cheap Accommodations.
| Boston Globe.
On the 1ss of April Messrs. Duncan & Hewss
| began the "Workingmans Home" at No. 1925
Washington street On July 1 they established
| the Economy" at No. liz Beach street. The
doors of the Friendly Inn" were thrown open
| Nov. IL, at the corner of Haverhill and Travers
| streets. These houses managed on the
same general plan, and are the result of
! same proprietors having four similar
running in St Paul and Minneapolis.
There is no board of managers or list
| of phi1anthropic subscribers There is
| no pauperizng, gift of buildings, or even OF
| library of amusement There is
| condesceuson IN instruction or moral reform.
| The promoters of business who seek,
| and are understood to obtain, moderate in
| come from their Investment and their work
| The rules of their houses only such to
insure the comfort of their guests. who
distinctly their patrons, and such improvement
as they receive comes from their own necessary
| and spontaneous compliance with those rules
| which commend themselves to their common
sense and the instinct of decency and justice.
How much further such impulses may De
| relied for the real benefit of the free
| American than the influences of clubs and
| associations. which treat grown men as
children to be hribed with gifts of costly build
| ings amusements and luxnries of all kinds, to
listen to a certain quantity of morals and relig-
ion, all who know that type of humanity will
testify. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have
| gone from the inexhaustible Golfers of Boston
| philanthropists found institutions which
| pamper the taste and undermine the maIliress
| and womanliness of their benefciaries who
| can pay their own way. And the benefactor,
| who must always pose as the patron, loses,
while he does so, the only valuable influence
which goes out from one man to another on
! equal ground In England the wealthy phi
| lanthropist may lend his money low rate
| of interest to an enterprise of such descrip
| menI of clubs or coffee taverns, which the men
| who use them control and often own in small
| shares, and the mixture OF patronage and char
| ity whore a member is treated on the assump-
| ton that he is paying for what he gets while it
| costs ten fold the fee, is almost unknown The
| man knows better. He takes what is given. of
| course, to the injury of his self-respecs- And
| he is always in revolt against the quasi bene-
| factor. who carefully keeps the reins in his own
hands For the theory Of it is the vicious one
| that instruction de haut On has, a guidance
of the .'lower classes" is possible in America.
on lust such an enterprise as that OF Messrs-
Duncan & Hewes, and then to keep
away from them, it would probably do
more coed than the gift OF great sums
administered by boards of gentlemen. 1t is
only necessary to visit one of their houses to
mark the distinction which has been made aud
to feel how simple. sensible and manly such
work may be rendered. Take, for instance,
the newest and largest on Haverhill street. 1t
a long strip of yellow paint bears the inscrip-
ton Friendly Inn, Open all Night" From the
windows on successive stories project little
signs Beds, 10 cents" Beds, 20 cents"
beds, % cents" Beds So cents" After dark
cheerful ruby lantern over the door renews
the pleasant welcome, Friendly Inn" Going
up rather steep staircase swing door ad-
mts the visitor into room some fifty feet
square, the walls. rough brick. but thoroughly
central stove There is a clerks desk. where the
manager sits and receives every guest, not with
the orusqueuess OF the diamond pin hotel clerk,
but a cordial greeting more akin to the English
host a n
his inn. The guests name IS written in a book,
his valise is taken aud check returned The
actual situation is SO like that at any ordinary
hotel that it ia startling to look up and see over
the desk placard which resds: I'VE advise
dodgers to sleep with their clothes under their
head"
In the open hall tables with newspapers,
chairs and benches. and the whole is clean ard
sweet, like the whole house, to sight and smell.
Here all the dodgers free to sit and smoke,
talk and play games. checkers. cards and domi-
nos being gratui,ousiy furnished. Another large
notice reads: play games and enjoy your
selves, but don't gamble, and never play
Sunday"
From this hall open eighteen little rooms sep
arated by partitions reaching to within five feet
of the ceiling, each containing bed and chair.
the bed with wire spring, a mattress, two
sheets and two comforts. Over the top stretch
Stats few inches apart, SO that mischievous
boys may not shin" over and disturb their
neighbors, had sometimes occurred before
this precaution was adopted. These rooms
% cents per night. aud the ledger may go TO bed
as early as $50 and not rise until TO- IL be will,
and may then use the common room all day
and until IL the next night when the
lights arc put down in the read
ing room, without further charge From
this room also opens a small hall, containing
eight cots which rent for 20 cents. On the sto-
~ above there is larger hall with thirty more
20-cenr cots, and also some fifty rooms for %
and So cents, the higher priced being on Haver-
hill street One or two occupants who hire by
the week have adorned their walls with groups
of bright cards and given them quite cosy
look. The next story, accessible for the watch
m
staircase from the -eading-room for its patrons,
they belong mostly to rougher set, who
might disturb the others by passing through
their quarters, is one great hall, containing sew
enty-fve cots for 10 cents for the night These
are stuffed with excelsior. and no chair Is pro-
vided The highest story affords opportunity
for extension, but Is now used only as a store
room.
Each floor has it's central stove and sink, pro-
vided with soap. two basins and towels; even
blacking and brushes are furnished, guests are
all called they may Order and at the Office,
paper. envelopes. thread, needles and buttons
are provided free.
We read at the door: mo drunken or disorder
ly man admitted to the house Yet, of course,
an applicant Is not turned away simply because
his breath appearance may indicate he has
been drinking Nor is there any effort at direct
influence in a moral way. This house is for So
Der, quiet men. Fo person turned out for nom
compliance with rules will again be admitted"
breaches the only sermon suited to the scope Of
the plan.
Watchmen patrol tho whole house at very
short intervals and there are ample fire escapes
Guests can obtain admittance if there are vacant
beds all night The Beach-street house has 100
beds in a single fat in the old building. which
has been theater. church and barracks, and the
Neutrality-suspicious. Workingmen's Home occu-
pies two stories with $50 beds. These al
most all filled every night, and the only draw
back seems to be in the probability that the dis
counts which given weekly dodgers who are
supplied at rates ranging from 90 cents to 81 30
per week. may fill the accommodations with
permanent occupants. 1t would be desirable
keep number of beds exclusively for transient
n
profitable.
Patrons allowed to bring in their food,
while the lower floor, in the street adjoining
the entrance to the Friendly Inn Haverhil
street, is a cheap, neat eating room, on temper
ance principles, hired from Messrs Duncan 81
Hewes, who control the whole building. which